This article is part of the supplement: Anemia in Critical Care: Etiology, Treatment and Prevention
Review
Pathophysiology of intensive care unit-acquired anemia
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Correspondence: Mitchell P Fink finkmp@ccm.upmc.edu
Watson Professor of Surgery, Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Critical Care 2004, 8(Suppl 2):S9-S10 doi:10.1186/cc2410
Published: 14 June 2004Abstract
The formation of red blood cells (RBCs) in the bone marrow is regulated by erythropoietin in response to a cascade of events. Anemia in the intensive care unit can be caused by a host of factors. Patients in the intensive care unit may have decreased RBC production and a blunted response to erythropoietin. Administration of recombinant human erythropoietin may stimulate erythropoiesis, increase hematocrit levels and hemoglobin concentration, and reduce the need for RBC transfusions.